The present invention relates generally to cable ties, and more specifically to a cable tie which includes a stud mountable fastener for securing the cable tie to a threaded stud welded on a mounting surface, the threaded stud often being referred to as a weld stud.
Cable ties having a stud mountable fastener are well known in the art and are commonly used, for example, for securing a cable to a threaded stud welded onto a panel of a vehicle. Such cables usually comprise one or more wires inside a sheath. Cable ties of this type are also used to secure objects such as wires together to form a bundle and then secure the bundle to the threaded stud.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,376 to H. O. Baum, there is disclosed a cable-securing device of the kind comprising a locking head having a flexible strap extending therefrom and with which in use cables and the like are secured in a loop formed by securing the free end of the strap in the locking head. The locking head includes a short, tubular body which is provided with internal projections. In operation, the fastener of the invention is adapted to clip on to a mounting projection such as the head of a stud by pressing the tubular body over the mounting projection where it is retained by the projections.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,064 to J. E. Caveney, there is disclosed a releasable cable tie for releasably securing discrete elongate objects together to form a bundle and for securing the bundle to a mounting surface. The cable tie comprises a stud mount boss for securing the cable tie to a stud having a distal collar or to a threaded stud, bolt or the like. The stud mount boss includes a cylindrical socket having a formed stud mount bore. Three resilient fingers and three guidance ribs are formed within the bore. The resilient fingers project upwardly from a stud entry face towards a stud exit face of the socket forming a 45 degree angle with the centerline of the socket.
One drawback of cable ties having stud mounting means of the type described above is that such stud mounting means can only be secured onto studs of a particular diameter and of a particular length, which significantly narrows the range of potential applications of the cable tie. In particular, such a stud mounting means can only be used in conjunction with studs of a diameter which can fit within the stud mount boss and studs of a length which will not project past the stud exit face of the socket.
Another drawback of cable ties having stud mounting means of the type described above is that such stud mounting means typically include a plurality of fingers which engage a stud at only one point along its length. Because the fingers engage the stud at only one point along its length, the stud mounting means is not mounted stably on the stud and therefore may experience wobbling, which is undesirable.
Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,822 to J. C. Benoit et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,979 to G. I. Camenisch; U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,358 to J. K. Kohut; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,504 to K. Yuta.